Robin Hood's Shadow
by jadewych
Summary: When Lillian finds out that she is going to be married to a complete stranger, she decides to run away to live in Sherwood forest with her dog Shadow and her best friend Sparrow. She disguises herself as a boy and takes the name 'Robin Hood', after her endearing nickname and the cloak she wears to hide her hair. First fanfic, please don't judge to harshly!
1. Prologue

All the best stories have a hero, and all the best heroes have a purpose. Whether I am a hero or not is debatable, but this is a tale of my purpose and my journey to freedom.

XXX

I was born in Loxley, an unexpected daughter to a family with five sons. I had good, law abiding parents that gave me a wonderful start in life and of course I had my five older brothers to protect me from any boys that might have otherwise be vying for my attention had they not been terrified of my brothers' over-protective nature.

My parents mistakenly assumed that I had all of the ambitions expected of a young woman and I was blessed, so I was told, with a significant amount of my mother's beauty. With my red-gold hair that fell in ringlets to my waist, my full lips and striking green eyes, I suppose I was reasonably pretty but it has never mattered to me.

As my parents had expected another son, I was named Robin after some long-dead relative. My father had seen no reason to change this just because I was a girl, and anyway, I preferred this to some sissy girls name like Lillian or Petunia, although I never could understand why people thought I bore resemblance to dead person, but I suppose everyone was intitled to their personal opinion.

I lived an easy life, for the most part; my only jobs were to cook if my mother was ill (which happened very often-she was quite sickly) and to look pretty when we had any guests.

But there was a part of my life unknown to all but one.

After dark, every night without fail, I crept out of the house to meet Sparrow.

In my village, it was unheard of for a boy and a girl to be involved with one another without some kind of romantic feelings, but no matter what you may otherwise think, Sparrow was like a brother to me.

I only wish that I had appreciated what I had while I still had the chance.

XXX

Hey this is my first story on fanfiction, I would really appreciate it if anyone who reads this gives me a review as I'd like to know what people think and it helps if I know how to improve my writing :-)

REVIEW!

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FAVOURITE!

And all that shizz ;-)


	2. Shadow

It was a still, moonless night, overcast with threatening storm clouds. There was barely enough light to see by and there was a definate air of menace around the previously inviting forest.

Looking back, I wonder if the weather was a sign of things to come.

Maybe it was just my overactive imagination, but I thought I felt eyes watching me as I hurried to the hideout on the edge of the forest.

Our hideout was nothing special-just the ruins of an old farmhouse-but Sparrow and I, we had made it our second home.

"Aaaaaaiiiiiiaaaahhhhhh!" I screamed my signature war cry and stormed into the 'fortress', pulling out my small dagger and leaping onto the silhouetted figure in the doorway, knocking them to the ground and resting my dagger lightly against the intruders neck.

There was a muffled curse and a small pitiful yelp which distracted me momentarily from the task at hand. A split second was all it took for me to be flipped over so fast that the world was spinning around me, with my own dagger pressing uncomfortably against my jugular.

Big Brown eyes stared down at me out of the darkness and a husky voice whispered teasingly in my ear; "Gotcha, little Robin."

I bit my attacker's hand and laughed when they cursed again, rolling out from underneath them and pulling them to their feet.

"Aww Sparrow, come on! I wasn't even trying. I could beat you with both hands tied behind my back!"

"Don't be mean or I won't let you have the present I got you!" Came the reply, followed by a wink and a cheeky grin.

I hugged him fiercely, uttering a quick; "I missed you," before grabbing his bag and rummaging through it.

"Hey, watch it, you'll squash her!"

Sparrow snatched back his bag and pulled out something black and furry. I peered at it curiously. Suddenly it moved and I jumped backwards, shrieking at the top of my lungs.

He shoved it at me, causing me to leap backwards-but then I held my hands out eagerly once I realized it was only a puppy, small and black and looking at me with big, blue, innocent-looking eyes.

"Wow." That was the only word that could escape my mouth at this moment.

"Yeah, cool isn't she? Consider her an early birthday present. Just be careful not to let her sleep in the fireplace like her mum does-you might light a fire on her, mistaking her for soot! You probably couldn't tell her apart from her own shadow!"

I beamed up at him. "Thats what I'll call her-Shadow!" A sudden thought flashed across my mind, and my face fell. "But what will my parents say? They'll never let me keep her."

"That's already sorted, I talked to them the other day and they said that I will have to look after her for a few months until you move in with your new husband." He spat the last word as if it were some kind of disease, but I was so flabbergasted by this sudden and unexpected piece of news, I was unable to take into account the harshness of his tone.


	3. Marriage

I stared at him blankly for a few seconds, unable to full comprehend what I was hearing.

It all hit me at once, leaving me shaken to the very core. It felt as if my entire being had been ripped up at the roots, turning it upside down. My life as I knew it was gone.

All I had left was anger.

"Husband?! They can't make me. I'm only fifteen! My parents-"

"-Have already signed the paperwork. You're getting married in a couple of months."

I stood up and walked into the hideout, intent on making a fire. It was summer, and not that cold considering a storm was brewing (literally as well as metaphorically) but I needed something to distract myself from my own thoughts.

Almost immediately, I felt a familiar presence to my right and I looked up to see Sparrow holding a very resistant Shadow in his overly-large hands. He sat next to me, dumping the bundle of fur into my lap, making me drop the pile of kindling I had been arranging on the worn fireplace so that I could pet her.

"We-we could run away?" I said it as a question, afraid to even utter the words. I chewed my hair nervously. "Me and Shadow, we could live in the forest. I can hunt. So can Shadow, when she gets big enough! I could train her to catch rabbits and stuff."

"And where am I in this equation? I taught you everything you know! You wouldn't last a day without me. At least respect me enough to realize I am coming with you whether you like it or not.

He looked up at me for the first time since the beginning of his rant, surprised to see me grinning like a lunatic. I hugged him tightly, afraid to let go.

My muffled voice was barely audible through the unnecessary layers of his clothing as I asked, jokingly; "So does this mean we're eloping?"

I might have been imagining it, but I thought I heard a touch of sadness in his voice as I struggled to hear his whispered reply. "Yes, I suppose we are."

XXX

A few hours later, I crept back into my house to grab some food and clothes. I managed to grab some clothes from my bedroom without any incidents, and then set about the task of finding food.

Cautiously, I snuck into the pantry, intent on making as little noise as possible. I had just grabbed some bread, cheese and smoked ham when I saw a light flickering at the very edge of my vision.

The door of the pantry opened, and I turned round to see a figure lit up with dim candlelight from the candlestick they had grasped in their hand.

It was my mother.

XXX

Author's note: if anyone's reading this, I can't update for about two weeks because I'm going on holiday to shell island xxx


	4. Escape

I heard my mother's voice, high pitched and fearful, as she called out, "Who's there? Show yourself, or I will call for the nightwatch!"

Although terrified of the unknown intruder, she still managed to stand tall, and he voice, whilst it contained fear it still managed to hold a substantial amount of authority.

Crouched in the shadows, my back pressed against the frigid stone wall, I closed my eyes in nervous anticipation as I waited with baited breath.

I sensed movement close to my face and my eyes suddenly snapped open only to find a large black spider dangling millimetres from my freckled nose.

I panicked as the evil eight - legged beast swung precariously close to my face. Fate seemed to be laughing at me as for such a small creature was threatening my freedom.

The spider made one last desperate leap and latched onto the front of my shirt, scuttling along the embroidered neckline. A trembling hand reached out to brush the spider away, but in doing so, one of the apples balanced so carefully in my arms was dislodged. Seemingly driven by an invisible force, the unassuming slightly over - ripe apple rolled across the uneven floor and stopped mere inches from my mother's bare feet.

My breath hitched and I shook with fear as she slowly bent down to retrieve the apple.

Hunched over as she was, with the apple clutched tight between her skeletal fingers, ghostly white nightgown dragging on the floor, my mother looked like a wicked witch from a fairy tale.

Using her momentary distraction, I fled from the house, my mother's heartbroken screams as she realized the identity of the intruder ringing in my ears.

About half way to the hideout, I leant against a brick wall to catch my breath.

"She went this way!" I heard the familiar deep gravelly voice of the head nightwatchman carrying through the deserted streets.

I had never ran so fast before in my entire life as I did that night. I tore though the streets, my boots tapping on the cobblestones and my heart threatening to burst from my chest.

The nightwatchmen eventually gave up on the chase, but still I did not stop until I had reach Sparrow.

I grabbed his hand and together we ran through the forest, until we could run no further, collapsing on the forest floor, exhausted from our eventful escape.

XXX

Author's note: I'm back! Shell island was amazing and I almost have a tan! Also I plan on updating this story more regularly (twice a week) and making my chapters longer :-) don't forget to comment & vote! It will give me motivation - I'm feeling unloved here :-( also any ideas would be much appreciated as nine year old sisters can only give you so much imput ;-) xxx

IDidn'tKnowIWasLost: Thank you! You are the first ever person to leave a review! And your stories are amazing! If anyone is reading this, go and check out Shadows On The Frontier! :-)

Rachel: Thanks :-) and I will try to make the chapters longer - this is the longest piece of writing I have ever done so far, but I'm up for the challenge ;-)


	5. Euphoria

I awoke to the sound of obnoxiously loud snoring. The source of this deafening noise was, of course, Sparrow - his arm was curled protectively around my waist, and his gentle breath hot against my ear. I sighed contentedly, reveling in this peaceful silence, occasionally broken by deep, rumbling snores.

Gradually the noise stopped and I felt Sparrow yawn against my neck. His breath tickled and fought to stay still.

It was at that moment I realized quite how close I was to him, and tried to escape from his iron grasp, but he only held on tighter, arms snaking further around my waist. Reluctant to bring him from his slumber, I waited for him to wake up.

Luckily I did not have to wait long before my discomfort was recognized, and he hastily released me and rolled over onto my stomach. He cleared his throat, embarrassed.

There was a long, awkward silence in which he fiddled with the dagger he held loosely in his grip, whilst I tried my hardest to hold back the laughter that was threatening to bubble up from deep inside me.

Finally I could hold it back no longer and I let the euphoria wash over me like water tumbling through a recently broken dam. I watched Sparrow through half-closed eyes as he joined in with my sudden exuberance, and together we basked in the warm glow of joy mixed with the weak April morning sunlight.

"So who were you dreaming about?" I asked Sparrow, my eyes crackling with amusement.

"Shut up, Robin!" Came the reply, as he blushed to the tips of his ears.

XXX

It was some time later that we composed ourselves enough that we could begin to sort through our meagre pile of belongings.

From the first bag I picked up there came an indignant yelp, and when I let loose the ties holding the bag closed I was immediately attacked by Shadow. She was so eager to escape the confines of the bag that she ran around the small clearing we had found ourselves in, barking happily, before finally stopping to do her business under a large ash tree.

After unpacking the rest of the bags, we lay our possessions on the dewy grass. Together we had; three blankets, one small saucepan, asorted knives, one large and two small containers of water, bows and arrows and a pitifully small amount of food.

"And don't forget this", laughed Sparrow, as he lifted up the his shirt to reveal a long coil of rope wrapped around the waistband of his trousers.

Not to be outdone, I stuck my hand down my shirt (ignoring Shadow's scandalized expression) and pulled out a small purse of money from my cleavage.

As I threw my contribution onto the pile of our things currently strewn across the grass, I took one look at Sparrow's comically disgusted face and let out a peal of laughter.

XXX

Author's note: Hey it's me again :-) sorry for the late update but I have been feeling uninspired. Writer's block :-(

Good news is, I now have this story planned out nearly completely. Bad news is - school in three days :'-(

Anyway, review! Follow! Favourite! Xxx


	6. Candlelight

A few days after our first morning in the forest we decided to leave our original camping spot in search of a better alternative. This was partly due to the fact we had very nearly run out of food but more important was the change in weather.

As summer gave way to autumn, a bone-chillingly cold wind clutched at our shivering bodies, forcing us to make our decision sooner rather than later. Finding civilization was important right now, as we wouldn't have a hope of surviving a harsh winter alone in the forest.

We set off, conversing cheerfully as Shadow pounced on the leaves that had the audacity to fall right under her small black nose. With the peaceful forest scene, our playful banter set a beautiful atmosphere for the day's walking.

XXX

It was dark when I woke up, that wonderful kind of all-consuming dark. They say the darkest hour is just before dawn and it was only now that I fully appreciated the truth of that statement.

I held my hand in front of my face and it did not suprise me when I saw nothing.

Candlelight filled my vision. I was temporarily blinded as my eyes adjusted to the intense brightness, and when my vision finally returned I saw Sparrow looking down at me through half-closed eyes.

"Are you okay?" His voice was husky and his hair sticking up at odd angles as a result of his interrupted sleep. With the warm glow from the candlelight casting flickering shadows across his cheekbones, he looked like an angel.

An inner voice rudely cut in to question the intentions of my thoughts, but I pushed it aside-Sparrow was my friend, nothing more.

I blushed under the intensity of his gaze, hiding beneath the curtain of my red-gold hair.

"Yes, I'm fine. Go back to sleep," I muttered, thankful for the dim glow of the candlelight as my cheeks flushed ever darker. I made a mental note to sort through these strange thoughts and feelings later, at a more suitable time.

I shifted around until I was lying comfortably with my back to Sparrow. Feeling around for Shadow's sleeping form, I grabbed the soft bundle of fur and held her to my chest, her warmth mingling with mine and he little wet nose resting under my chin.

Although on the verge of sleep, I still heard, but barely, the sad sigh that escaped Sparrow's lips as he lay back down, allowing an unnecessarily large amount of space between us.

XXX

My eyes opened before I was fully awake. The first thing I noticed was the faint light of dawn coming from the distant horizon. The second was the lack of company-it seemed Sparrow had left for some reason, leaving his belongings behind.

Knowing that he wouldn't desert me for good-he must have gone to do his business behind a bush or something-I sat there waiting for his return.

Some time later I began to worry after there was still no sign of him. Getting slowly to my feet, I picked up a small but serviceable dagger and called Shadow to my side.

I looked around at the dark and foreboding trees, deciding which way Sparrow might have gone. There was no way to know for sure as all of the forest looked the same in the half-light of early dawn.

Cautiously, I ventured further into the forest until I heard an excited yelp from Shadow.

She had her nose to the ground, her tail wagging furiously as she discovered a scent trail. I followed her, subconsciously aware that we were growing further and further away from our makeshift camp.

Finally Shadow stopped, sniffed the air and looked at me expectantly. I sat down on a recently fallen maple tree, upset that I had been led on a wild goose chase, ultimately leading to being lost in the middle of nowhere!

Closing my eyes, I tried to picture the way back but my mind was to exhausted to remember anything.

Then I heard a loud cry of pain. Guessing it was Sparrow, I discarded all troublesome thoughts and ran through the forest as if the Devil himself were chasing me, intent on reaching my friend before it was to late.

Author's note:

Back again! Had to juggle homework and writing, earning some narrowly avoided detentions-that's me, the rebel ;-)

Updates will be limited to about once a week, because of school and stuff :-(

REVIEW! FOLLOW! FAVOURITE! If you do, I will answer any one question about this story ;-)

Until next week! :-)

Guest: thank you so much! You're awesome :-)


	7. Rescued

We ran like the wind, Shadow and I. Relentlessly chasing the sound of Sparrow's voice, leaping over small boulders and fallen trees.

Shadow was oblivious as always, her tail wagging as she snapped her sharp little teeth at my carelessly untied leather boot laces. I shook her off, as I was in danger of tripping over her. She let out an indignant yelp and vanished into the undergrowth. It was too late to catch her, so I kept on running, hoping she would find me again.

A few minutes later, I realized that I could no longer hear Sparrow's voice. I stopped suddenly, turning sharply, searching for a glimpse of him. The momentum carried me forward and I felt the ground abruptly give way from beneath my feet. I felt myself falling. Squeezing my eyes shut and putting my arms up to protect my face, I braced for impact.

XXX

I hit the ground hard, but landed on something relatively soft which cushioned my fall. Rolling off the thing I had landed on, I looked down and saw it was Sparrow. I apologized profusely, to which he lay on the ground gasping for breath and clutching his squished body parts.

While I waited for Sparrow to resume breathing, I surveyed my surroundings. I had fallen into a large pit that was partially covered with an assortment of branches, moss and leaves to create an illusion of the forest floor. There was barely enough room for the two of us to sit down, and the sloping sides of the pit created a bottleneck about five feet above our heads, making escape impossible.

We had probably stumbled stumbled upon a trap intended for catching large animals such as bears and wolves. Hopefully the owners of the trap would check on it soon, or we would likely be trapped for some time.

It took a while for Sparrow to recover (I had fallen pretty hard) but as soon as he did, I started yelling at him.

"How could you leave me like that?! I waited for you for hours-"

"Robin, I-"

"HOURS! And you've been fine-"

"Robin!"

"-all along! What a waste of my time. I got lost! Shadow ran off somewhere and I can't find her! She could be-"

"ROBIN!"

"- dead for all know! I fell down a hole! I could have died too! How are we even going to get out of here?!"

I paused momentarily to catch my breath from my sudden outburst. I looked up at Sparrow and put all my energy into an extremely pissed off glare. Sparrow met my gaze with an equally venomous his arms crossed, eyes narrowed and nostrils flaring, he looked quite formidable.

He held up a small bag filled with food-or what could, at a stretch, be called food if you were hungry enough. Edible mushrooms, blackberries, crab apples and two dead rabbits. I was used to roast dinners and my mothers famous apple pie, but right now this was just as appreciated as the very best of my mother's cooking.

Although grateful for the food, I was still angry with him for leaving me alone, in the dark, with a forest full of wild animals. I grabbed a small handful of blackberries and sat on a small pile of leaves, refusing to make eye contact with Sparrow.

"I'm sorry I disappeared like that, alright?"

I raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. He carried on regardless.

"You were still sleeping, so I went to look for food," he explained. "I thought I could be back before you woke up, but then I got lost and fell down this hole".

He looked up at me with those melted chocolate eyes of his and I couldn't help but forgive him. Before I could say anything however, we heard a familiar barking and the much anticipated sound of human voices-Shadow had returned, and she had brought help!

XXX

Author's note:

Sorry about the long wait and short chapter, I've been busy with school and stuff :-(

Two hundred reads on wattpad! Yay!

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